The invention concerns a side-impact damping device for a vehicle, more particularly for arrangement in the area of the B-column of a vehicle, with a panel turned toward the occupants of the vehicle, with an airbag present between the panel and the vehicle body, and with a sensor unit which triggers the airbag in the event of a side impact.
Currently known side-impact damping devices are situated in the doors, in the backrests, or in the area of the B-column of the vehicle. Side-impact damping devices in the doors have the drawback that with the small clearance between the B-column and the vehicle occupants, the release time is not adequate to be able to develop sufficient damping effect in the space between B-column and vehicle occupants. In addition, the accommodation of such side-impact damping devices in the vehicle doors in some circumstances is unfavorable since relatively little clearance is present in the vehicle doors as a result of the components present there such as to door lock mechanisms, window raising devices, or loudspeaker systems. Furthermore, the side-impact damping device must bridge relatively greater distances before the actual effective zone is reached.
While side-impact damping devices in the seats, more particularly airbags present in the seats, are located closer to the vehicle occupants, they nevertheless have only limited effectiveness between the vehicle occupants and the passenger compartment surrounding the vehicle occupants.
Side-impact damping devices which are present as airbags on the B-column of vehicles are known by way of example from German Patent Document DE 91 11 206 U1. It is a drawback, however, that between the vehicle occupants and the B-column there is relatively little intervening space for the unfolding of an airbag arranged on the B-column so that in the event of a side impact of the vehicle only relatively little impact energy can be damped through such a side-impact damping device.
The present invention therefore is based on the object of creating a side-impact damping device through which the vehicle occupants are optimally protected and a side impact on a vehicle is optimally damped.
To solve the object, a side-impact damping device of the type described above is proposed which provides that the vehicle occupants sitting on the impact side are acted upon with acceptable force by the activated airbag and are accelerated thereby toward the middle of the vehicle.
As a result it is advantageously achieved that the vehicle occupants as a result of the activating airbag are acted upon with a force acting in the same direction as the impact force acts on the vehicle. Thus in the event of a side impact of the vehicle a jolt-like acceleration of the occupants of the vehicle is counteracted as a result of their inertia. In addition, the occupants of the vehicle are brought away from the impact zone of the foreign body hitting the vehicle as a result of which additional penetration paths for the foreign body penetrating into the vehicle are created.
The invention also has the advantage that while claiming relatively little room, an effective impact behavior and an associated effective side-impact damping device of the vehicle are ensured.
According to one configuration of the invention, in the event of an activated airbag, the panel is present between the vehicle occupants and the airbag. As a result it is advantageously achieved that upon activation of the airbag, the panel does not have to be moved away as being in the way.
Another configuration of the invention provides that the panel and the airbag are configured as one piece. Such a configuration is particularly cost effective and ensures a secure connection between the panel and the activated airbag.
According to another further development of the invention, the panel is configured as a distributor element adapted in particular to the human body that the force acting on the vehicle is favorably distributed when the airbag is released. In this manner, the impact of the panel on the human body is uniform and thus is acceptable.
A variant of the invention provides that the panel pads the hips, torso, shoulders, and head of the occupants of the vehicle. As a result, the impact on the vehicle is better damped with the airbag, resulting in a softer impact of the panel.
According to a further development of the invention, when the airbag is activated, the panel is retained in a defined end position with retaining elements, with the retaining elements preventing the panel or the airbag from penetrating too far into the passenger compartment.
One embodiment of the invention provides that the retaining elements are more particularly retaining straps, one end of which is fastened to the vehicle body and the other end of which is fastened to the panel. As a result of a defined length of the retaining straps a controlled movement sequence of the panel into the passenger compartment is ensured. It is also contemplated in certain preferred embodiments for the retaining straps to be configured to be elastic or semi-elastic to better and more uniformly damp the impact acting on the vehicle occupants as a result of the airbag. In the case of several side-impact damping devices in a vehicle, the individual side-impact damping devices can by way of example have retaining straps of differing lengths depending on what distance must be overcome between the vehicle and the vehicle occupants.
One variant of the invention provides that the airbag extends like a tube over largely the entire height of the passenger compartment and is attached in the area of the vehicle roof and the vehicle floor to the vehicle body. Such a configuration has the advantage that the entire height of the passenger compartment is covered by the airbag which in particular results in a uniform impact and acceleration of the corresponding vehicle occupants.
Another further development of the invention provides that the airbag in activated condition has sections which extend into the passenger compartment, more particularly in the direction of travel and the opposite direction, and are provided for cushioning the vehicle occupants, in particular their rib and/or head area. As a result of the presence of such sections, the airbag can cover additional areas within the passenger compartment which represents additional protection for the passengers.
According to a further development of the invention, the panel has sections which can open in particular in the direction of travel and the opposite direction through which the sections of the activated airbag penetrate into the vehicle compartment. As a result of the presence of such sections in the panel which can open, it is ensured that the corresponding sections of the activated airbag can act in the desired zones of action despite the presence of the panel.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the sections capable of opening are flap elements opened up in the manner of a hinge. Such flap elements have the advantage that they can be opened very early and the airbag area or the airbag section lying under it can unfold completely.
A variant of the invention provides that the side-impact damping devices are present in the B-column and/or a vehicle door. Specifically the combination of several side-impact damping devices according to the invention, in particular in the B-column and in the vehicle doors, offers optimal protection of the vehicle occupants in the event of a side impact.
Other advantages, features, and details of the invention will be found in the description below in which a number of embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features referred to in the claims and the specification may be important to the invention individually or in any combination.